Standard WHO-ORS Versus Reduced-osmolarity ORS in the ...

J HEALTH POPUL NUTR 2006 Mar;24(1):107-112 © 2006 ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research
ISSN 1606-0997 $ 5.00+0.20
Standard WHO-ORS Versus Reduced-osmolarity
ORS in the Management of Cholera Patients
Sri Pandam Pulungsih1, Narain H. Punjabi2, Kustedy Rafli1, Atti Rifajati1, Swiandy Kumala1, Cyrus H. Simanjuntak3, Yuwono4, Murad Lesmana5, Decy Subekti2, Sutoto† 1, and Olivier Fontaine6 1Infectious Diseases Hospital Prof. Dr. Sulianti Saroso, Jakarta, Indonesia (†Dr. Sutoto
passed away in 2003), 2U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2, Jakarta, 3National Institute
of Health Research and Development, Jakarta, 4Directorate General of Center for Disease
Control and Environmental Health, Ministry of Health, Jakarta, 5Medical Faculty, Trisakti
University, Jakarta, and 6Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development,
World Health Organization, Geneva 27, Switzerland
ABSTRACT
The study compared the safety and efficacy of an oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution, containing 75
mmol/L of sodium and glucose each, with the standard World Health Organization (WHO)-ORS solution
in the management of ongoing fluid losses, after initial intravenous rehydration to correct dehydration.
The study was conducted among patients aged 12-60 years hospitalized with diarrhoea due to cholera.
One hundred seventy-six patients who were hospitalized with acute diarrhoea and signs of severe dehydration
were rehydrated intravenously and then randomly assigned to receive either standard ORS solution
(311 mmol/L) or reduced-osmolarity ORS solution (245 mmol/L). Intakes and outputs were measured
every six hours until the cessation of diarrhoea. During maintenance therapy, stool output, intake of
ORS solution, duration of diarrhoea, and the need for unscheduled administration of intravenous fluids
were similar in the two treatment groups. The type of ORS solution that the patients received did not
affect the mean serum sodium concentration at 24 hours after randomization and the relative risk of
development of hyponatraemia. However, patients treated with reduced-osmolarity ORS solution had
a significantly lower volume of vomiting and significantly higher urine output than those treated with
standard WHO-ORS solution. Reduced-osmolarity ORS solution was as efficacious as standard WHO-
ORS solution in the management of cholera patients. The results indicate that reduced-osmolarity ORS
solution is also as safe as standard WHO-ORS solution. However, because of the limited sample size in
the study, the results will have to be confirmed in trials, involving a larger number of patients.
Key words: Diarrhoea; Cholera; Oral rehydration solutions; Rehydration; Dehydration; Osmolar concentration;
Randomized controlled trials; Double-blind method; Comparative studies; Indonesia
INTRODUCTION
The discovery of oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution
for the treatment of dehydration due to diarrhoea is considered
to be one of the greatest achievements of medical
research in the 20th century (1). Since it was recommended
by the World Health Organization (WHO) in
Correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed to:
Dr. Narain H. Punjabi
U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2
Jakarta 10560
Indonesia
Email: narain@namru2.org
Fax: (62-21) 420-7854/424-4507
1978 for the management of all types of diarrhoea in all
age-groups, numerous studies have been undertaken to
develop an 'improved' ORS. The goal was to discover
a product that would be at least as safe and effective as
standard ORS solution for preventing or treating dehydration
from all types of diarrhoea but which, in addition,
would reduce stool output or have other important clinical
benefits. One approach has emphasized reducing the
osmolarity of ORS solution to avoid possible adverse
effects of hypertonicity on net fluid absorption. This was
done by reducing glucose and salt (NaCl) concentrations
in the solution (2-10). Results of studies conducted on

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J Health Popul Nutr Mar 2006
children with non-cholera diarrhoea and comparison of
this reduced-osmolarity ORS solution with the standard
WHO-ORS solution showed that reduced-osmolarity
ORS solution significantly reduced stool output, vomiting,
and the need for unscheduled intravenous infusion
(7). Besides, reduced-osmolarity ORS solution also significantly
decreased mean serum sodium concentration
at 24 hours. However, all cases of hyponatraemia reported
in these studies were asymptomatic. Based on these results,
it appears that reduced-osmolarity ORS solution,
containing a reduced amount of sodium and glucose, had
beneficial effects on the clinical course of diarrhoea and
is as safe as the standard WHO-ORS solution for use in
acute infantile diarrhoea (7).
These results, however, raised some concerns about
the safety and efficacy of using reduced-osmolarity ORS
solution for the treatment of cholera patients as the faecal
concentration of sodium is higher in cholera than in
non-cholera diarrhoea (7). A reduced-osmolarity ORS
solution, containing 75 mmol/L of sodium instead of 90
mmol/L, might not allow full replacement of sodium
lost, possibly leading to an increase in ORS intake, an
increase in the need for intravenous therapy, and a
higher risk of hyponatraemia. We, therefore, conducted
a double-blind randomized clinical trial to compare the
efficacy and safety of the standard WHO-ORS solution
with that of reduced-osmolarity ORS solution in patients
(mostly adults) with dehydration due to Vibrio cholerae
O1.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted at the Infectious Diseases Hospital
(IDH) Prof. Dr. Sulianti Saroso, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Patients aged 12 years or older are admitted to the adult
ward in this hospital. In this study, patients aged 12-60
years with __ (a) acute watery diarrhoea for less than 24
hours prior to admission, (b) clinical signs of severe dehydration
according to the WHO guidelines (11), (c)
stool output of less than 5 g/kg.h during the initial intravenous
infusion, and (d) no visible blood in stool __ were
enrolled in the study after obtaining verbal consent from
patients or from their guardians if they were not in
condition to provide consent due to their mental status
condition at the time of enrollment in the study. Pregnant
women and patients who had systemic infections
or other diseases requiring specific additional treatment
were excluded. Patients with negative stool/rectal swab
culture for V. cholerae O1 were also excluded during
the final analysis. All patients were initially treated with
intravenous infusion with Ringer's lactate solution given
at a rate of 110 mL/kg plus replacement of ongoing losses,
Pulungsih SP et al.
until blood pressure and pulse returned to normal and
they were able to tolerate oral fluids. This procedure
usually takes 6-8 hours at the IDH, Jakarta, and is slower
than in other rehydration centres. After initial intravenous
rehydration and provided they met the inclusion
criteria, these patients were enrolled in the study and
randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups __
reduced-osmolarity ORS solution or standard WHO-
ORS solution (Table 1). The randomization list was established
at the WHO in Geneva, with random permuted
blocks of variable length (6-12 subjects per block). The
packets of reduced-osmolarity ORS solution and of
standard ORS solution, identical in appearance and
packaged in identical sachets, were arranged in a sequence
corresponding to the master randomization code, numbered
sequentially, and then sent to Indonesia. Fifteen
packets were assigned to each patient. Rehydration therapy
was conducted with the assigned ORS solution on
Table 1. Composition of oral rehydration solutions
Reduced-
Standard
Composition osmolarity
WHO-ORS †
ORS *
Glucose (mmol/L) 75 111
Sodium (mmol/L) 75 90
Potassium (mmol/L) 20 20
Chloride (mmol/L) 65 80
Citrate (mmol/L) 10 10
Osmolarity (mmol/L) 245 311
*Dispensed in powder form with the following ingredients
(all measured in g/L): sodium chloride _ 2.6,
trisodium citrate _ 2.9, potassium chloride _ 1.5, and
glucose _ 13.5
† Dispensed in powder form with the following ingredients
(all measured in g/L): sodium chloride _ 3.5,
trisodium citrate _ 2.9, potassium chloride _ 1.5, and
glucose _ 20
ORS=Oral rehydration solution; WHO=World Health
Organization
an ad-libitum basis, with the minimum amount administered
equal to replacement of ongoing losses (watery or
loose stools and vomit) until diarrhoea stopped (defined
as the start of the first 12-hour period during which no
diarrhoeal stool passed). Plain water was also freely
available. Immediately after completion of rehydration,
patients in both the groups were offered food (noodles).
Thereafter, meals were provided three times a day throughout
the study period.
The indication for giving supplemental intravenous
fluids during the course of the trial was re-appearance
of signs of severe dehydration despite administration of

Comparison of WHO-ORS with reduced-osmolarity ORS 109
appropriate ORS solution. These patients were given
rapid intravenous infusion with Ringer's lactate solution
to correct all the signs of dehydration within 2-3
hours. The patients then resumed treatment with their
assigned ORS solution and were kept into the study. All
patients admitted to the study received tetracycline, 500
mg four times a day for two days. The first dose of antibiotic
was given with the initiation of ORS therapy.
All intakes and outputs were measured and recorded
every six hours until the cessation of diarrhoea, or withdrawal
from the study. Stool output was measured using
cholera cots and buckets placed below the cholera cots.
Every six hours the buckets were emptied, and the volume
of stool in it was measured and recorded. Patients were
also given urinal for urine and were requested to use it
for urination. They also were given a special smaller
bucket to be used if they vomited; the bucket was also
emptied every six hours and the volume measured and
recorded. Clinical assessment of patients, number and
characteristics of stools passed, and number and volume
of vomiting episodes were recorded continuously and
summarized for a six-hour period. Body-weight was
recorded on admission, after rehydration, and then every
24 hours until discharge.
Blood samples were obtained on admission, after
completion of intravenous rehydration, and 24 hours
later for measurement of serum sodium and potassium
concentrations by standard methods (12). Rectal swab
and stool samples were collected from each study patient
at the time of admission. These samples were inoculated
into Cary-Blair media for transport to the laboratory,
where they were processed by standard methods for the
isolation of V. cholerae O1, which included inoculation
onto the following agar plating media: thiosulfate-citrate
bile salts agar, deoxycholate-citrate lactose saccharose
agar, Salmonella-Shigella agar, and MacConkey agar
(13,14). The study was designed to detect a 30% difference
in total stool output between the treatment groups.
On the basis of results of a study conducted among
similar patients in the same hospital, we calculated that
56 patients with culture-proven cholera per group would
be needed to show this difference with a type II error
of 0.20 and a type I error of 0.05 (15). In our previous
studies, 80% of patients fulfilling the above inclusion
criteria were shown to harbour V. cholerae in their stools.
Therefore, we decided to admit 80 patients per treatment
group to recruit at least 60 patients with positive stool
culture for V. cholerae O1.
The protocol was approved by the ethics committees
of the hospital and by the Committee for the Protection
of Human Subjects of NAMRU-2 as study protocol no.
9319 in 1993 and by the Sub Committee on Research
Involving Human Subject of the WHO.
Statistical analyses were computed on Epi Info (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia,
USA, and World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland)
and SPSS for Windows software (SPSS Inc., Chicago,
Ill). A two-tailed Student's t-test was used for
comparing the groups. The Fisher Exact Test was used
for comparing qualitative variables. Kruskal-Wallis One
Way was used for analysis of variance. Relative risks
were calculated by the Mantel-Haenszel risk ratio (16,17).
RESULTS
During January 1994 _ January 1995, 176 patients were
enrolled in the study, of whom 160 had a positive stool/
rectal swab culture for V. cholerae O1 and were included
in the final analysis. Seventy-eight patients __ 38 males
and 40 females __ were randomly assigned to receive
reduced-osmolarity ORS solution and 82 patients __ 50
males and 32 females __ to receive the standard WHO-
ORS solution. There were no differences between the
treatment groups in characteristics at the time of admission
and in stool output during the initial intravenous
infusion prior to randomization (Table 2).
Data collected from all 160 patients were included
in the final analysis up to the time when diarrhoea stopped.
No patients were withdrawn from the study. The treatment
groups did not differ in stool output, intake of ORS, duration
of diarrhoea, or proportion of patients who required
unscheduled intravenous infusion after randomization
Table 2. Characteristics of patients on admission
Reduced- Standard
Characteristics osmolarity WHO-ORS
ORS (n=78) (n=82)
(mean±SD) (mean±SD)
Age (years) of patients 29±11 27±10
Weight (kg) 46.7±9.7 45.7±7.9
Male:female
Duration (hours) of
diarrhoea prior to
38:40 50:32
admission
Pre-randomization
initial rehydration
Volume of intravenous
19±14 19±15
fluids (mL) 7,446±1,964 7,853±1,968
Stool volume (mL) 2,560±1,051 2,846±1,411
ORS=Oral rehydration solution; SD=Standard
deviation; WHO=World Health Organization

110 J Health Popul Nutr Mar 2006
Pulungsih SP et al.
in the study. However, urine output in the first 24 hours
following randomization was significantly smaller in
patients receiving the standard WHO-ORS solution,
while vomiting during the same period was significantly
reduced in patients receiving reduced-osmolarity ORS
solution (Table 3). The mean serum sodium concentration
at 24 hours did not differ significantly between the
treatment groups (139±7 mEq/L for reduced-osmolarity
ORS and 140±10 mEq/L for standard WHO-ORS). The
relative risk of development of hyponatraemia (serum
Na

Comparison of WHO-ORS with reduced-osmolarity ORS 111
concerns the way urine was collected. Each patient was
given a urinal to collect urine, and every effort was made
to remind the patient to use it and not to urinate into the
bucket below the cholera cot. Nevertheless, there is always
some possibility that some amount of urine spilled
into the stool-collection bucket. Each study patient received
a course of tetracycline for only two days, instead
of three-day duration, since results of previous studies
at the IDH indicated that two-day treatment for cholera
patients is sufficient to eradicate the causative organism
compared to the standard three-day course as recommended
by the WHO (11).
Urine output at 24 hours was significantly higher in
patients receiving reduced-osmolarity ORS solution
than in those treated with the standard WHO-ORS solution.
This suggests that the patients treated with reducedosmolarity
ORS solution received more 'free' water
than the patients from the other group __ water that had
to be eliminated through urine. However, this increased
intake of 'free' water did not result in any significant decrease
in the mean serum sodium concentration at 24
hours, nor did it result in any increase in the relative
risk of developing hyponatraemia. The safety of reducedosmolarity
ORS solution in this study is further confirmed
by the fact that the need for unscheduled intravenous
fluid therapy was not increased in patients receiving
reduced-osmolarity ORS solution when compared with
those treated with the standard WHO-ORS solution
(20% vs 27%).
Although the study patients were all severely dehydrated
on admission and had a large purging rate during
the initial intravenous rehydration period (>9±3 mL/kg.h),
stool output in both the treatment groups decreased rapidly
in the first 24 hours following randomization and
the administration of antibiotics effective against V.
cholerae O1. Therefore, the volumes of intravenous fluid,
containing 130 mEq/L of sodium, administered to all
patients during the initial intravenous rehydration period
were, for most patients, greater than the volumes of
ORS solution consumed during the first 24 hours after
randomization. The large amounts of sodium received
prior to randomization may, therefore, have reduced any
impact, which the reduced-osmolarity ORS solution
might have had on the serum sodium levels in those
patients.
The results of this first study evaluating the efficacy
and safety of reduced-osmolarity ORS solution in adult
patients with cholera are very encouraging. However,
before these can be generalized for all cases of cholera,
it will be important to confirm them in studies recruit-
ing a large sample of patients hospitalized with cholera
and treated with larger amounts of reduced-osmolarity
ORS solution. We know that one such study has been
completed in Bangladesh, and its results will be published
soon, and another one is underway in Kolkata, India.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The study was supported by grant from the Control of
Diarrhoeal Disease Programme, World Health Organization;
by the Indonesian Ministry of Health; and by the
U.S. Naval Medical Research and Development Command,
Navy Department. For their support and encouragement,
the authors would like to thank the Director
and staff of the medical, nursing, maintenance, laboratory,
emergency room, rehydration and adult (C&D)
wards of the Infectious Diseases Hospital Prof. Dr.
Sulianti Saroso of Jakarta; Prof. Dr. A.A. Loedin,
former Head of the National Institute of Health Research
and Development (NIHRD), Ministry of Health, Indonesia,
the staff of the Bacteriology Laboratory, Center
for Infectious Diseases Research NIHRD RI Jakarta
and the late Dr. Gandoeng Hartono, former Head of the
Directorate General of Communicable Diseases Control
and Environmental Health; the Departments of Microbiology,
Clinical Investigations and Epidemiology, Data
processing, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2,
Jakarta. The authors would also thank the Department
of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, World
Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, for providing
the grant and supplies for the study.
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